Cheshire: A One Direction Story
by gabriella pearse
Summary: After another fight with her stepsister blew up into a huge issue, Vanessa and her family have moved to Holmes Chapel in Cheshire all the way from Melbourne.


'...I'm gonna miss you so much, Ness.'

'I know, I'm gonna miss you too, Jen!' My best friend Jenna gave me a huge hug as my dad, step-mum Jules, and stepsister Carli boarded the plane headed for London, England. Jen finally let go, her eyes welling with tears, and I gave a last sad wave to my grandparents, and my aunties, uncles and cousins.

'Bye!'

'See you at christmas,'

'Have a safe flight,'

'Inbox me when you stopover!'

'Love you!'

Tears started to stream down my face. Jules put her arm around me but I shook her off. It was my stepmother's fault that we were moving away from our home in Melbourne, Australia to start over in England - and although I loved her like she was my mother, I couldn't help but be furious with her for making us leave our family.

My real mum had been killed in a car accident eight years ago, when I was only five, so Jules had practically raised me. But even though I got along well with my British-born step-mum, I did not get along at all with her snotty fourteen year old daughter Carli. Carli was tall and tanned, with thick, cascading caramel-brown hair and sparkling grey eyes, but she was also obnoxious, mean, and had a habit of wanting and doing everything I did - and doing better than me every time. I got into the waterpolo team - Carli was made captain. I had a crush on will Beyers - Carli asked him out. I had been become known at the school I had been at since I was four as Carli Mason's little stepsister, or that girl Carli walks to school with. And it was no better at home. Whenever dad or Jules asked me about my day, or congratulated me on my top marks in my english assignment, Carli would try and switch the conversation back to her. She would laugh at me when I tripped, scorn me when I said something silly and put me down in front of my dad. Jules and Dad sympathised with me. They told Carli off whenever they noticed her bullying me, but the problem was that they never really noticed until the situation got out of hand and Carli and I were yelling at each other from opposite ends of the room. Jules began to think that it would be better if we all got a fresh start - we could move far away, Carli and I could go to different schools and life could be more relaxed and happy. And don't get me wrong, it sounded like a great idea when we fantasized about it, but I never really thought Jules was serious...and it was true, she wasn't.

But it was the fight on December 27 that made up Jules' mind about moving. Two days before, we had spent Christmas Day at my grandparents' house in Port Melbourne, on the beach down the road from their house, with my cousins Mike and Lila. There at the beach, we ran into Jake, my grandparents' fourteen year old next-door neighbour. I had had a huge crush on Jake since I was eleven, and Lila nudged me with a wink as he waved at us and started to walk over. I blushed when he gave me a hug hello, and felt nastily satisfied when he gave Carli just a polite nod in greeting. I could feel her burning with jealousy that _I _had gotten prime attention from a boy over her. The rest of the day, we spent mucking around in the water, Jake dunking me under the waves and dropping subtle hints that maybe he liked me back. Carli sat broodingly on the sand, flashing me reproachful looks. Lila smirked as she watched Jake and I, and mouthed 'what's her problem?' when she caught sight of Carli's sulking. It was a great day, and when Jake gave me a tight squeeze goodbye, he whispered 'text me later' into my ear and winked as he trudged back up the beach.

Carli was silent the whole way home, answering me with single words and rolling her eyes when I spoke. But I didn't care; I had spent an amazing day with Jake, and I had finally got one up on my horrible stepsister.

However neither lasted. The next day, Boxing Day, we went back to Nonna and Nonno's for lunch. Lila was there too and we went down to the park after lunch, gossiping and laughing. I was elated when we got back to the house; Lila had told me about the hilarious fight between the two popular girls at her school, and said that Jake had told her that morning that he was thinking about asking me out. I ran through the door and up to the guest room that we slept in at Nonna's house to get my phone and text Jake to come over for dessert - I was itching to see him again.

Well, I didn't need to text him to come over, thats for sure. When I threw open the door and saw who was in there, I felt gutted, betrayed and positively _furious. _There, sitting on _my _bed, was Jake and Carli, her arms wrapped around him and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. At the sound of the door bouncing off the wall, they snapped apart and a look of extreme guilt fell across Jake's face. I could feel tears burning my eyes, and even through the blur of water I could see the shameless, triumphant smirk on Carli's flawless tanned face.

'Ness, I can explain,' Jake said.

'No. Forget it.' I replied coldly, my voice quivering. I tried to hold back from dissolving into tears, or worse, slapping that insolent grin off Carli's face. I glared at them both as I stormed out the door.

I spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the bench in my Nonno's vegetable garden. Jake didn't come out to apologise, and Carli didn't come out to gloat; I assumed Jake had left or they'd resumed kissing. It had started to get dark when Jules came out.

'Ness? Ness are you out here? We're leaving now, hon, come say goodbye.'

''Kay.' I replied listlessly.

I pulled myself off the seat and traipsed inside. Carli was sitting at the bench, eating one of my Nonna's arancini, her legs dangling off the stool.

_At least Jake's left, _I thought to myself grimly.

I said goodbye to everyone and went out to the car. Carli bounced in after me, looking ecstatic.

'Well, today was an amazing day, wasn't it?' she said brightly. I scowled at her before turning to gaze out the window.

'What?' Carli asked innocently. I ignored her, and she shrugged her shoulders as Dad and Jules hopped in the car.

'Good day, girls?' Dad asked. I grunted a reply and tuned out before I could hear Carli's bubbly reply.

But as I said before, the big fight didn't happen until the twenty-seventh. I had spent the whole morning in my room, filling in Lila and Jenna about what had happened, and valiantly ignored three calls and four texts from jake. But I was hungry and I couldn't stay in my room forever, so at three, I trudged out to the kitchen and my heart dropped. The back of a familiar tall, brown haired somebody was standing at the bench with his arm slung around Carli, who was chattering excitedly to my Dad and Jules. I backed into my room and fixed myself up, changing out of my tracksuit and into a bright sundress, running a brush through my hair and brushing my teeth. I quickly sprayed a spritz of perfume before ducking back outside. No matter how angry I was with Jake, so angry I wasn't even sure if I liked him anymore - did I really want anyone who had been with my stupid stepsister? - I didn't want to _show _that inside I was in turmoil, full of rage and hurt and hate and betrayal.

'Morning Jules, morning Dad!' I said brightly, my gaze skipping straight over Jake and Carli. 'Morning,' they chorused, exchanging confused glances. They might not have known that I had basically been head over heels with Jake for two years, but they did know that we were good friends and I wouldn't straight out ignore him. They didn't say anything, though, and neither did Jake, though I saw his foot twitch and he turned around fleetingly, looking hurt. I felt no sympathy for him though. If he was so hurt that I had ignored him all day, if he was so keen on being with me as he had hinted and Lila had told me, if he had any sort of feelings for me, he wouldn't have been standing there with his arm around my horrible stepsister. Carli continued chattering with dad and Jules, and when the conversation ended, they headed out to the shops, and she hopped off the bench, slipping her hand into Jake's. as they both sat on the lounge, Carli smirked at me. 'Hows your day been, sis?' she asked sweetly.

'Fine.' I replied stiffly. 'Wonderful, actually.' I brightened up, an idea forming in my mind. 'I Skyped Will and we talked for aaaages.' I lied, making reference to Will Beyers, Carli's boyfriend from three months ago. A venomous looked passed over Carli's face, and Jake looked puzzled and envious.

'Well I was just saying to Jakey here that you used to be really hung up on him, didn't you? I hope you don't mind that, you know - ' she gestured to herself and Jake. The look on her face reminded me vaguely of poisoned honey.

'Not at all,' I said coldly. Jake stared at his feet, and Carli raised her eyebrows. I could feel anger bubbling up inside me with every word she spoke, every move she made towards Jake. When she smiled sweetly at me and nestled her head on Jake's shoulder I exploded.

I can hardly remember what happened, just that I was crying uncontrollably, and Carli was so stunned that she stood there and took every insult, every accusation that I gave her. Jake left, looking guilty and uncomfortable. I remember him giving me a pleading, apologetic look as he walked out the door. I stormed to my room and slammed the door so hard that the walls shook.

'You're pathetic, Vanessa!' Carli shouted. But I didn't care. I was numb; surprised and shocked and furious with myself that I had gotten so angry. When Jules got home she came in. Carli had obviously told her everything.

'Go away.' I mumbled as she sat down on the foot of my bed. She rubbed my back.

'Sweetie, I know none of this is your fault. Carli's a handful, you know that. I'll fix this okay?' I nodded from my pillow and Jules got up and left. I heard her shouting at Carli and I smiled to myself. She would fix it.

But I didn't know that fixing it meant what was about to happen...


End file.
